Manchester United have a rich tradition of promoting players from the academy into the first team, and this has been no different under Ruben Amorim.
Over the past few months, there has been an injury crisis at Manchester United, and in order to solve this, Ruben Amorim turned to the academy for solutions.
This has seen Amorim grant two United academy debuts over the past two months, with both Chido Obi and Harry Amass getting their chances, while numerous others are expected to follow soon.
Jack Fletcher has been regularly involved with the first team and is firmly positioning himself as one of the top prospects in the academy right now.
Another top prospect is Bendito Mantato, who has been in United’s first-team training over the past weeks, following on from being handed his first professional contract with the club.
Now, Mantato’s U18 teammate has been handed his very own professional contract.
READ: Man Utd under-18s top scorers and assists in 2024/25, all results
Amir Ibragimov’s professional contract shows he is a sensational talent
On Thursday, news emerged from Carrington that United have handed Amir Ibragimov his first professional contract, which is much deserved and came just a day following his 17th birthday, which is when he would have been eligible for a contract.
United wasted absolutely no time in agreeing to lock Ibragimov down to a long-term contract, which should also improve his chances of getting involved with Amorim’s first team.
Acting swiftly shows the club had no reservations around securing Ibragimov’s future, solidifying him as one of the club’s most exciting prospects. United in Focus understands, after speaking with Graeme Bailey, that United are big fans of Ibragimov as a player and rate him, which has been showcased by his contract.
So the new contract, in many ways, is Ibragimov’s biggest endorsement yet, with Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell both watching his performances on multiple occasions and dem him the cream of the crop.
Speaking on MUTV during the United U21s game last week, Liam Bradford raved about Ibragimov, stating that the Dagestan-born starlet had “all the talent in the world”.
What’s next for Ibragimov at Manchester United?
Almost every time he plays for Manchester United, Ibragimov stands out as a “real danger”, regardless of the academy level. The 17-year-old is a lot to deal with for opponents as he is not only extremely technical but has the work rate and intensity to make himself a standout.
Due to this, many have assumed that Amorim will eventually look at utilising Ibragimov in the number 10 position at Old Trafford, with hopes he can replicate his remarkable talent at a higher level.
Ibragimov is often a joy to watch, and the remainder of this season for him will be spent in the U18s and U21s, picking up as many minutes as he possibly can.
However, after a really successful season for the academy personally, Ibragimov could be targeting the challenge of spending the pre-season with Amorim in the USA, which would be his next step as he makes academy football look too easy more often than not.
Before the 2024/25 season, Ibragimov was hoping for a senior debut which may still happen as the domestic campaign is already over and so giving academy players a chance could be beneficial. Ibragimov’s main positive this season has been how much he has played after 2023/24 was full of injuries.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/e5z0dO9